Petcare Made Simple

Knowing Your Aquarium Filters

Building, adding to, and maintaining the integrity of an aquarium can be both exciting and challenging. The process of duplicating the beauty of the underwater world can be difficult, but once carried out successfully, can add to the beauty of your home, and even the increased interest of your friends and loved ones in the life of the creatures of the sea. Making sure that this controlled environment stays clean and danger-free, however, is harder: you need to make sure that the chemistry of the water, the nature of the aquarium, and the microorganisms all come together to keep your fish happy and healthy.

Aquarium filters are part of this controlled system of a replicated environment, in that they keep out harmful microorganisms and chemicals. On their own, however, aquarium filters can only do so much: you will need to clean your aquarium regularly to scour out harmful fungi, which can prey on your fish and their young offspring. You will also need to change your aquarium water, and even test its pH and salinity levels if you are maintaining a marine aquarium.

How Water is Filtered in the Aquarium

There are actually three major methods of filtration. In mechanical filtration, an aquarium filter removes large materials, usually debris or waste, by keeping them out of the water and allowing them to rest on a filter. Such a filter may be made up of spongy material, floss, or a metal screen. Waste and debris usually consist of fish excrement, or gill exudations, both of which contain large amounts of ammonia. This ammonia is converted into nitrate, which can kill fish if such ions are present in the water in large amounts.

Chemical filtration involves treating the water with chemical agents which can remove harmful molecules from the aquarium environment. This is carried out by adding carbon or zeolite to filters. Biological filtration, on the other hand, is the most important method of filtration, and is used to ensure that water quality in the aquarium remains high. Such filtration is carried out by beneficial bacteria, which are made to grow on filters so that they can metabolize or digest waste, or molecules and compounds that would otherwise be harmful to fish.

The Different Kinds of Filters Available

If you are interested in buying an aquarium filter for your aquarium, there are different sizes of filters to suit your needs, and the kind of fish that you want to keep. A corner or box filter is made up of plastic, which houses filter carbon and floss which are linked to an air pump. This is commonly used in simple house aquariums.

The UGF or under gravel filters are fitted onto the bottom surface of the aquarium, and are placed under about an inch or so of gravel. This filter is linked to an air pump, and is kept on regularly. Canister filters, on the other hand, hang onto the side of an aquarium, and will house an internal pump which is connected to a sealed container. This container traps waste and debris from the aquarium water. Fluidized bed filters, like canister filters, hang on to the wall of the aquarium. This time, however, they pump water up and into the water through fluidized materials.

Wheel filters, such as the BIO-Wheel, are fitted onto the back of the aquarium. These filters draw water up from the aquarium bottom with the help of a siphoning tube, and then drain the water back into the aquarium. The drained back water is filtered through a pad that contains carbon, sponge, floss, or zeolite. Such a filter also allows beneficial bacteria to grow on it, allowing these bacteria to process harmful wastes and debris from the aquarium water. Such filters require constant maintenance, and filter pads need to be changed at least once every three to four weeks. The siphoning tube also needs to be cleaned inside and out.

If you are keeping baby fish, you may need sponge filters. The density of the sponge keeps the light and delicate baby fish from being sucked and drawn into the filter. The sponge also allows small plankton and other food to grow on its surface, where baby fish can nibble on them easily. Baby fish, however, can also be easily trapped under sponge filters, so the sponge filter shouldn’t be on the aquarium bottom.

Filters are only one way to keep an aquarium clean, but they are essential to the health of your fish and the other inhabitants of your aquarium. If you are interested in purchasing a filter, consult with your local pet store or aquarium accessories distributor, and choose a filter that fits your needs and budget. You will soon enjoy the benefits that your aquarium can offer, whether it houses a few common fish, or many rare and colorful species.